I'd like to know when the day comes where those politicians who hold a Cabinet position such as Veterans Affairs Minister actually start using some common sense and grow a pair and start looking after the well being of disabled Veterans. The first step is to revamp the whole bureaucratic system surrounding the Veterans file. Fire all these pricks and boot them to the streets, are the higher ups that stupid that they can't see through the BS that comes from those working the file. Here is a prime example of the stupidity and waste of money, assign a number to each disable Veteran who is in receipt of Veterans Affairs Pension, a burial number worth $5.000. This same amount for each and every Veteran. How easy is that? Why pay all these pricks to make things so complicated just so that they can secure their own futures? This is not rocket science! Were talking common sense that would be at the level of high school or even junior high. Kent and his counterparts should think about going back to school to learn some everyday decision making common sense! But then again, why should they, they are all milking the system!

An internal audit of Veterans Affairs Canada has found that the estates of only a fraction of veterans who die each year are assessed to determine whether they qualify for benefits.

ByLEE BERTHIAUMEThe Canadian PressTues., July 18, 2017

OTTAWA—The families of some recently deceased veterans may not be getting the help paying for funerals that they deserve, an internal government audit has found, prompting a renewed commitment to outreach by the federal government.

The Veterans Affairs audit was looking at a program that helps pay the costs of burying veterans who died because of their military service or whose survivors can’t afford a proper funeral.

Since 2013, the government has helped pay for around 1,200 such funerals each year at a cost of around $7 million.

But the audit said many more veterans may have been eligible, as the estates of only a fraction of the roughly 21,000 veterans who die each year were assessed to determine whether they qualified.

“Although the overall intake to the program has remained relatively consistent over the past four years,” the audit report said, “there is a risk that the program is not fully reaching veterans.”

One specific area of concern was the 3,000 veterans receiving disability benefits who died each year, but whose families were never contacted about whether they were eligible for financial help with the funeral.

The audit also raised concerns that veterans who were homeless or poor were more at risk of being overlooked than others, despite the fact the survivors of such people were more likely to need assistance.

Officials were also less likely to look at the files of veterans who were single or widowed when they died, which meant, among other things, “that the estates of female veterans are negatively impacted.”

The number of cases assessed, meanwhile, has steadily decreased from more than 3,100 in 2011-12 to 2,200 to 2015-16, though the audit did not cite a reason.

In response to the audit, Veterans Affairs, which has long struggled with complaints from veterans about difficulties obtaining support and services, said it is following up with vets to ensure nobody is missed.

Department spokesperson Nick Wells said in an email that the measures include a monthly report on veterans who have been identified as homeless or at risk of homelessness, or who receive financial assistance.

“Any veteran or veterans’ family who is eligible for funeral and burial services will be provided them,” he said. “We continue to work hard to ensure more veterans receive a dignified funeral and burial.”

The funeral and burial benefit is administered on behalf of Veterans Affairs by the non-profit Last Post Fund, which was founded in 1909 and currently covers up to $7,376 for a veteran’s funeral.

Additional funds may also be available to pay for the burial plot, interment or cremation.

The program was heavily criticized for years for only covering the costs of those veterans whose estates were valued at less than $12,000, after the Chrétien government cut the threshold from $24,000 in 1995.

But the Trudeau government raised the threshold last October and tied it to the consumer price index, with the cut-off currently sitting at $35,738.

Funeral and Burial Assistance

The Veterans Affairs Canada Funeral and Burial Program ensures that eligible Veterans receive dignified funeral and burial services. The Last Post Fund (LPF), a non-profit organization, delivers the program on behalf of Veterans Affairs Canada. To be eligible for the program, Veterans must meet both military and financial criteria. For more information, please visit the Last Post Fund:http://www.lastpostfund.ca/

Matter-of-Right

When a Veteran’s death is related to military service due to a condition for which Veterans Affairs Canada provided a disability benefit, assistance may be granted as a matter-of-right (no means testing). This must be determined by a medical authority from Veterans Affairs Canada.

Means Tested

Under the program, the LPF may provide funeral and burial assistance to:

a former member of the Canadian Armed Forces or any predecessor naval, army or air forces of Canada or Newfoundland; ora Canadian Merchant Navy Veteran of the Second World War or the Korean War; oran Allied Veteran who served with the Allied Forces during the Second World War or the Korean War and has also lived in Canada for at least 10 years, or lived in Canada prior to enlisting and was living in Canada at time of death.If the estate of the deceased and the financial resources of any surviving spouse are not sufficient to pay the expenses of the funeral and burial (as determined by the means test described below) then assistance may be provided to cover all or part of the cost.

The Means Test

In determining eligibility for means-tested assistance, the following assets in the deceased's estate will not be included in the calculation of financial status:

Assets to a value of $35,738 where the deceased left a surviving spouseAssets to a value of $700 for each dependent child (as defined under the legislation)The family home (including normal household furnishings) and the family automobileRegular income cheques (payments under: Old Age Security, Guaranteed Income Supplement, War Veterans Allowance, or disability pension payments) issued to the deceased for the month of death.Where the deceased is not survived by a spouse or dependent children, all estate assets are examined to determine financial need.

Funeral and burial expenses of the deceased, as well as other debts, are considered when determining the value of the estate. If it is determined that the estate and, if applicable, the financial resources of any surviving spouse are sufficient to provide for the funeral and burial, assistance will not be approved. If there are sufficient assets to cover a portion of the expenses, a grant in the amount of the difference, up to the maximum amounts stipulated by legislation, may be approved.

Benefits

Financial assistance is payable for the following costs:

any medical costs of the deceased person's last sickness that were not otherwise paid by the Minister and that are not insured under a private or provincial health care plan;the costs of the following funeral services:preparation of the remains,provision of a casket that meets the standards specified by the Minister or provision of an urn,provision of ceremonial services,provision of death notices,transportation of the remains from the place where the death occurred to a funeral home and to a place of burial or cremation, andtransportation of the remains that requires the services of two funeral homes because the funeral home or place of burial or cremation are not in the same locality as the place where the death occurred;if necessary, the cost of any special preparation of the remains for viewing;if required, the cost of providing a single grave and reasonable costs of opening and closing the grave and its perpetual care;if a grave liner is required by the authorities of the cemetery, municipality or province, the cost of a decomposable or non-decomposable grave liner;the cost of cremating the remains; anda military style grave marker (upright or flat granite, or in certain cases, flat bronze) conforming to the standards of Veterans Affairs Canada.

Application for Assistance

An application for funeral and burial assistance can be made by calling the Last Post Fund toll-free at 1-800-465-7113 within one year following the death of the Veteran. Applications that are received after the one-year time limit will not be considered.